Mikel Arteta has revealed that the Arsenal players were the driving force behind yesterday’s show of solidarity with the Black Lives Matters movement.
Ahead of the friendly with Brentford at the Emirates, the squad warmed up in t-shirts featuring slogans including “I can’t breathe”, “Silence is violence” and “Colour is not a crime”.
Before kick-off players and staff took a knee, a symbolic stance, made famous by NFL star Colin Kaepernick, that has become synonymous with anti-racism.
“The thing that I liked most is that it came from them [the players],” Arteta told Sky Sports.
“I got a phone call from the captains asking for permission to do that.
“I spoke with the club straight away and they were very clear that they wanted to support the first team’s intentions. Everybody collaborated yesterday and we created the shirts.
“I think it was a really strong message and it was powerful because it comes from them. They were the ones who felt they had to support these causes.”
Earlier this week the New York Times journalist Rory Smith reported that captains from a number of clubs had been in discussion with the Premier League about showing their support for the movement prior to kick-off of games next week.
Arteta was also asked about Arsenal’s preparations for Wednesday’s game with Manchester City. Despite the 3-2 defeat to Brentford, the boss struck an optimistic tone.
“They are going well, very different to our usual preparations,” he said. “We’re getting all our protocols right, the players are getting used to it. It’s been a challenge for the coaches, but we’re happy with how it’s going.
“We’ve been trying different things, we’ve been giving minutes in the legs to all the players, you have to change a lot of players as well through the game. Getting adapted to playing in an empty stadium and not having that energy from the fans … but it was good.
“We played two friendlies to get some rhythm, we hadn’t played in a while and we wanted to try and make it as possible to a real game.”
“Obviously, I know everybody there, I spent four magnificent years with those players, the staff and the club.
“I’m really excited as well, I can’t wait to be back and competing and doing what we love most which is to play football.
Arteta seems to have that calm demeanour and touch of class that reminds me or Mr Wenger, its really refreshing after enduring the Emery years.
“the Emery years”
It was only a season and a half but it felt more like three
at least a season and a half of Unai after Wenger is better than the 7 years manchester united went through after Sir Alex Ferguson.
We knew it was a very shaky unbeaten streak looking back, but at the time it wasn’t terrible that first season. it just fell apart at the end.
Looking forward to football returning, but I’ll be watching this one from behind the sofa, I don’t hold much optimism.
Willock’s two goal in the two recent friendlies are absolute bangers, and Lacazette took his two goal really well.
Would Arteta be brave/stupid enough to go to City, and try and play them in a game of football?
I fear for the result if we go head to head with this lot, it’ll be an absolute massacre
By contrast, do you expect us to be able to go there and stifle them with our defense?
I think we have to try and attack otherwise we will end up a couple goals down with nothing to show for our defensive efforts. In particular, the full backs will have to get involved and push their counterparts back up the pitch. Hopefully Arteta’s work in the transition element will prevent us from being opened up on the counter.
Try to draw 4-4 instead of losing 3-0.
I hope you will allow me to share this very relevant conversation from 2016 https://youtu.be/QRen8nI8_aM
How is this relevant? A sheriff denying facts and pushing his own untruths to protect his employer.
Good on our players and those like Sterling and Sancho who are speaking up and using their positions to fight racism and support those protesting.
Dainton Connell ✊?
Diaby’s Left Peg,
I shared this article about the legend Dainton Connell in another comment but here it is again (in case you haven’t come across it before) ✊?
https://www.8by8mag.com/the-bear-of-highbury-arsenal/
Even Wrighty and Lee Dixon went to his funeral. A proper Gooner
✊?
✊?
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Oh yeah it’s the blm organisation that has fueled hate towards police officers and not the inherent racism against people of colour and classism that has been the issue for the last 400+ years.
I hope you will allow me to share this very relevant conversation from 2017:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFh08JEKDYk
Another guy who tries to divide people while the same old benefit from the divisions? Yes, I see how relevant this is.
The way you answer the spin doctoring in your video is to shut it down. as evidenced by the video I shared. personally don’t like the the taste of boot on my tongue, but each to their own
Spin doctoring? I don’t think one can argue that black on black violence is not a MUCH bigger problem in the USA, but I’d be happy to discuss (maybe not here, hey Blogs 😉 ).
On the other hand you seem quick to imply violence is required… but don’t worry, these days that Sheriff could never appear on CNN.
The black on black narrative is frustrating. It’s not a black on black problem it’s a poor problem. Lack of opportunity causes crime and it just so happens that black and other minorities are the poorest in our society, mostly due to how they are seen in society through structured discrimination and racism.
How is that so hard for some people to understand?
It’s mainly a poor problem, yes, and the more you make it about race, the more all the poor people (of which there are many more white folks in “the west”) will be divided. Ever heard of “divide and conquer”? “Useful idiots”?
Obama was elected twice in a country with 13% blacks… I would not so sure about structured discrimination.
And the blm movement is fully inclusive regardless of race, gender and sexuality. The point is we’re concentrating on how black people and people of colour are treated right now and unfairly discriminated against in every step of society, rich or poor.
Your arguement is like saying the women shouldn’t complain about gender inequality because there are some men that are worse off than some women, oh Margaret Thatcher was pm once problem solved. No it isn’t. It ignores the fact that on average they are discriminated for one reason alone and that’s gender, ceteris paribus.
I agree with most of what you’ve said but I think and this is just my opinion, you shouldn’t use people of colour because saying black is fine I’d much rather that. I believe it’s tone not colour.
Sure, let’s have racial issues, feminist issues, trans issues, migrant issues, short ppl issues, one-legged blind ppl issues, etc, and forget about financial structures and “special interests”. See how chaos becomes the rule and nothing will change as to the creation of mass poverty…
Yeah, lets get back to good ‘ole days of white straight males making up all the rules.
Where people like you hold on to the past and see chaos, many finally see some progress. It must be scary being in your shoes.
People like me? lol, you know not a thing about people, like me. But you sure like to build a straw man.
My message is one of unity and also that It always ends up badly for “useful idiots”.
But good luck fighting the big bad ‘white straight male’ (racist much?), maybe you’ll to go after the puppet masters eventually 😉
Yes he was elected twice in a country with 80/85% whites. That tells me among many many other things that our/their votes don’t mean shit. We don’t really choose who gets in “power”. Look behind the screen for fs. Jokers thinking they’re all “woke” ha
Sheriff Clarke is a disgraced former officer who has embarrassed himself for years on right wing television in the US…
“Regarding the comments made by Mesut Özil on social media, Arsenal must make a clear statement. The content published is Özil’s personal opinion. As a football club, Arsenal has always adhered to the principle of not involving itself in politics.”
Maybe they should have at least forbidden Willock from wearing a shirt that says ‘silence is consent’ or whatever, then I wouldn’t have to choke on the irony.
Love the club, but let’s not pretend that this isn’t a pretty cynical exercise in bandwagon jumping.
Bandwagon jumping? Maybe the club recognises that this is an issue within society that many of it’s fans identify with. Funny how you have more of a problem with them wearing the shirt than the issue itself. That’s the real problem.
To be fair, Ya Gooner, I don’t think he’s necessarily criticising Arsenal’s support of BLM. Seems to me he’s just pointing out the fairly clear moral selectivity. Much like the campaign for racial equality, the issue of the Uighur community in China should be treated as a human rights issue rather than a political one. The difference in their approach is therefore quite striking. It’s great that the Club is getting behind BLM and I’m happy to see it, but let’s be honest… it’s easy for them because it doesn’t hurt them financially to do it. Criticising China’s treatment of… Read more »
To be fair it is hypocritical and it’s a great arguement to have. Where do we draw the line on moral responsibility. We rightly take down the statues of slavers, how long until people like the Sacklers (owners of the pharma group that push oxycontin) are called into question over their atrocities to humanity and the royal academy wing is renamed for example. 400 years?
Thanks for putting that far more eloquently than I could have hoped to. Basically I think we can’t expect moral leadership from the club, which is going to look after its commercial interests.
AbsolutelyMarvellous
Well said
THIS ^^^. And it is blatant bandwagon jumping and I am surprised the Club allowed it. Although on the other hand, thinking about it – I’m not. Beef’s quote about Ozil’s comments highlights the obvious double standards, when China raises a commercial fist, EPL clubs tremble ; including – sadly – ours. And do Black Lives Matter in Africa where corruption and oppression is very much the order of the day, in countries like Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe ? Or do they only matter in western countries where students with nothing better to do can feign a passing… Read more »
You literally do not give a flying f*ck what happens in Equatorial Guinea or Zimbabwe.
There’s something some of you don’t get about this club. The Arsenal is one of the most welcoming clubs for people from all over because our supporters did a lot of work battling racist National Front types back in the days of hooliganism. [https://www.8by8mag.com/the-bear-of-highbury-arsenal/]
These issues may not matter to you personally, but it’s an important part of the club’s history, and the players are also honouring that by taking this stance.
I honestly don’t understand why we do this. The players and club have shown their support for a worthy cause and we all agree that they’re right to do so. But instead of celebrating that we’re criticising them for some other shit they should have done! Why?
It’s almost like we’re saying “we were wrong about the Ozil-China situation, so we should be wrong about this as well”. I guess some people are more interested in being consistent, or not “jumping on a bandwagon” than in actually doing the right thing but that doesn’t make sense to me at all.
The amount of whataboutery is rediculous, the issue is stop racism and inequality in our society. People are making a stand because they are harassed daily on their own doorstep, in their own communities and when they rightly complain they get told to go somewhere else. Shut down like they don’t deserve a voice. What happens in Africa is horrible too and is also partly a symptom of recent world racism and colonial history. It is hypocritical for a club like arsenal to choose to ignore certain things but it doesn’t invalidate the cause. It’s a bit like saying ‘oh… Read more »
Some of these people care more about whataboutery, false equivalence, and identifying double standards than the issue at hand.
If Arsenal had backed Ozil’s comments as well as this, they’d just find another cause to “what about”.
Exactly this
Sorry if I seem a bit negative. I think that if you’re selective, the right thing pretty much starts to seem like the wrong thing. I guess the analogy that springs to mind is one minute silences. If we were to observe one-minute silences for people of one ethnicity and then completely ignore everyone else, eventually the respectful gesture would start to seem a bit disrespectful. Throw in the commercial incentives and the grandstanding starts to stink a bit. So yeah it’s less ‘don’t do the right thing’ and more ‘this right thing you’ve very quickly done contrasts pretty… Read more »
I get what you say about the commercial aspect but your analogy confuses me, the movementis for equality no one is being ignored, in fact it’s the opposite. Everyone is included. Also the issue we’re talking about now doesn’t invalidate other issues and just because there are other issues it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t deal with this one now.
Strange how when it comes to opposing racism some people find themselves suddenly caring so much about kneeling, t shirts, blogs and statues but when black and brown people are getting shot or harassed all we get is silence.
Let’s not forget – this is the same season where a Spuds fan threw a banana that practically landed on Aubameyang’s feet.
And a few months ago there was a commenter here who described a black West Ham defender as an ‘ape’ or ‘gorilla’.
He then used the SAME EXCUSE the Spuds fan did: “I didn’t mean it in a r*cist way”.
So yeah, even among our own fanbase there’s work to do on this issue.
What was it you accused me of last year? Something about my mixed race wife being a prop to me. Such a classy comment.
You’re right there’s work needed among our fanbase. You could start with yourself.
Oh it’s Mister “I will call black players monkeys if I want” Twatsloch. That was probably the most intolerant comment I’ve read on here. Very glad that Blogs called you out on it.
As for your wife, here’s the post in question.
https://arseblog.news/2019/05/valencia-condemn-nazi-salutes-promise-investigation/
It was another person that made the comment about your wife.
For someone that thinks it’s cool to call Black players m*onkeys or ap*s this display of support for BLM from the entire team must really boil your piss
It obviously boils your piss that you’ve exposed yourself for the racist hypocrite you are. You know an apology could have gone a long way but instead you avoid the issue by throwing more insults my way.
Stay classy dude.
True that, specially when it’s black or asian gangs going at it, not to mention the grooming of thousands of girls over more than a decade, right?
Good job there’s never been a white gang member or paedophile then.
“Black on black” violence is really poor on poor. A consequence of prohibition and poverty not race.
The point is that FOR SOME REASON, the autorities did not seem to want to investigate all those cases of grooming for all those years Arguably a case of “systemic discrimination”, right?
And when the msm finally reported on it, there wasn’t much “virtue signalling” to be heard, was there?
Life is tough for white men. Hope they recover from all this systemic discrimination they (you) face.
By the way, authorities do investigate, MSM do report on it fairly (not how you want them to) – you choosing to cherry pick is your issue, not other peoples. You’re fairly decent at deflection and spin, but not that good. The 1950’s must be missing you.
You choosing to make it about race is exactly what the powers-that-shouldn’t-be have been planning.
How tough is it right now for african slaves sold for 200$ in Lybia? I don’t rejoice like you seem to, for shame.
The fact you don’t think it’s about race while you try to deflect about ‘powers that be’ nonsense says a lot about you. You are the very definition of white privilege with your insane viewpoint on how this is NOT about race.
What exactly am I rejoicing about? Never time to rejoice when there are so many like you out there spinning and distracting from the real issue. Your original post linking an insane right-wing cop says it all.
Blogs I see you’re censoring me, which is your right on your blog, but not censoring others for posting the “right” opinion. I’ve posted for many years, but we’re now living within in the realms of free speech that liberals disagree with becoming hate speech, and mass censoring across platforms of Conservative views, which ultimately leads to tyranny, and the inevitable authoritative totalitarian state that follows. Not to mention the very definition of being liberal is to accept the opinions that differ to your own. 21st century liberals are the new fascists, and his obsession with identity… Read more »
I’m not censoring you. I’m simply not posting some of your messages because they are, frankly, disgusting. I’m open to all kinds of arguments and opinions, but some of the shit you’ve tried to post here today is beyond the pale, and I won’t allow it. If you think it’s tyranny, I couldn’t care less. I have to maintain standards on this website and in this community. I’m not an impediment to your ‘free speech’ – you can take a megaphone and go out on the street and say whatever it is you want to say. The fact that you’re… Read more »
”You’re open to all arguments and opinions” Just not the ones that don’t live up to your high liberal standards…. Which basically makes you illiberal. My opinions make you feel uncomfortable, because deep down you know nothing I’ve posted isn’t true, but at least if you do it this way, you can virtue signal to the world that your farts don’t stink…. Politically correct = kind lies You’re a straight up hypocrite, you’ve gone in hard on people who haven’t social distanced, you’ve accused me of supporting mass genocide of venerable people during this pandemic,… Read more »
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Cunt
Have you considered that sometimes the right thing to do isn’t what has been always done, appears to be the easiest option and is of most self interest?
Because it doesn’t sound like it.
I thought us Gunners were a progressive bunch. But then again. Silly of me to generalise.
That was great! Up tick and Ta for making me laugh out loud.
you know this is a football blog?
Is it? Seems more like a fucking witch hunt at the moment.
Are you POTUS in disguise? People pointing out your opinions are flawed, is not a witch hunt. If you don’t want your opinions criticized, keep them to yourself.
Here’s what you said about women earlier (which I didn’t publish): If you don’t want to get pregnant? Then either use contraceptives, or just keep your legs shut… You’re a fucking disgrace. You dress up your built in bigotry with fake concern. “We should protect the vulnerable,” you spout during Covid-19, while advocating moves which would leave them even more vulnerable. Your opinions don’t make me uncomfortable because I don’t think they’re untrue. They make my skin crawl because they are odious, disingenuous and borderline sociopathic. Anyway, you’ve made your feelings about me and the… Read more »
I can imagine how much of a racist this cunt was. R. I. P rich haha
Beautiful how people like you try to deflect – and fail. Keep crying while you move on.
Funny how people moan about having their garbage views censored when they constantly create noise to drown out disenfranchised voices…..
Try Empathy bro, for your own sake . Empathy, compassion etc. I’m serious
The sanctimonious twats still aren’t doing anything about the discrimination that Asians and mixed race people receive every day.
What a bunch of hypocrites.
Then why not get out there and try to initiate change on the issue you care about? Apparently it only involves specific races, which is fair enough. Standing up for one issue doesn’t mean you are against another. Just cos I have engaged in protests for abortion rights, doesn’t mean I want all polar bears to drown or starve. Also, to most people – this is about racism – includes Asians, mixed-race people, blacks, whites…..all races. Look at the protests, you see all races out there together. The fact you are deluded enough to think the message is… Read more »
Yo Rohan. What the fuck!? Who owes you that even? Do you have a voice? Forget empathy and recognising one injustice… If you can’t see beyond how you have been wronged… speak up! Jesus.
The NY Times article gave credit to three “captains” in particular for pushing the league in (what I consider) the right direction in a call with all twenty “captains”: Seamus Coleman, Troy Deeney, and Bellerin. So, is Hector officially the Arsenal captain now? I love Aubameyang as a player, I like his personality, I’m sure all the players respect him–but it’s pretty clear he is not the type who wants to be a captain, or that he is wants to place himself out front on the sorts of genuinely important issues that team captains are now facing. Do we… Read more »
I think Hector’s currently a team vice-captain?
Shoutout to Seamus Coleman as well. Always liked that guy. I remember him turning down a move to United because he wanted to stay loyal to Everton. Top man